A little crumbly and spicy, very buttery, a nice party cracker. You'll want to spread any toppings yourself, because of the crumbliness. Makes 3 dozen.
| ¾ c | all-purpose flour |
| 4 oz | shredded sharp cheddar |
| ¼ c | walnuts or pecans or almonds |
| ¼ tsp | salt |
| ¼ tsp | rubbed sage |
| 1/8 tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 1/3 c (5-1/3 T) | cold butter, cut into pieces |
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put your rolling pin in the freezer if desired.
- Flour a large cutting board.
- Cut butter into pieces.
- Shred cheese.
Bake
- Put all ingredients except nuts and butter in food processor. Process for 5 seconds, then drop in the nuts and process another 5 seconds or until nuts are a size you like.
- Open food processor, dot butter pieces on top. Close, process steadily until the dough begins to come together.
- Dump dough out onto a floured board, shape into a ball, and roll out to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Cut out with small cookie cutters (1-2 inches) and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. They don't spread, so you can put them close together. It's fine to gather the scraps and roll them out again for a second or third cutting.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges begin to brown slightly. Remove from oven; cool for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
